He seems really unfriendly.

« Ready to begin the work, CHIEF ! » She loudly said, almost screaming.

She didn't want to seem that loud. But she had to be sure he would turn her way and look at her.

He flinched a bit, though. That almost made her reconsider her stealthy approach followed by that over-confident greeting.

But she was full of expectations. She needed to see his face. She needed to check…

He seemed to be relaxing again despite the small scare she'd given him, and he raised a pair of brown eyes to her; wondering what she was doing right here, right now, to his desk's side.

His piercing eyes were a bit intimidating, but she didn't step aside nor shift her glance; concentrating on his features, detailing his face with utmost care.

She was glad he was seating right now; because she was pretty sure the man in a brown suit who was also her new boss was taller than her. And not by a short straw.

"Hum… Y… You're… ?" He asked in a monotonous voice.

There it was. That voice. Profound yet a bit under the wind. She had to make a good first impression. Especially if she really scared him a few seconds ago. So she chose to smile, even if she was really nervous, with her heart beating so loudly she hoped he didn't hear it from where he was seated.

"I'm the new recruit under your management, Chief Kobayashi!" She blurted out, displaying a cracked smile.

Ah shit. That wasn't the smile she wanted to make. Why was it so difficult to smile, especially to him? But at least she'd managed to maintain an even cheerful voice.

But maybe even that didn't have the predicted outcome. He's frowned a bit his eyebrows, watching her as if she was bothering him more than anything.

It even seemed to her that he had tired eyes; as if today had been a really long day. Even though it was only 8:30 am, really. Maybe he'd had a bad night?

"Are you sure you're not mistaken, Miss…?" He asked, returning her a severe look.

Ouch, that one did hurt. He was being a bit harsh here, despite only meeting her this morning.

That even made her drop her smile, despite her intention of being as cheerful as possible. Especially in front of her new boss.

Maybe, just maybe, he was too tired to be polite, she thought.

But she had passed all these interviews with a clear goal in mind. She had passed all the prerequisite tests with that goal in mind.

"I'm Shinohara Hana, Chief," She answered, not cheerful the least but using a serious tone and expression. "I've been affected to your section, starting today. I'm a new hire, but I hope to be of help right now".

She really hoped to make a good impression. Really. But she also couldn't detach her gaze from his features.

He was a man in his forties, brown suit with a blue and white striped necktie, and a severe and piercing glare aimed at her. Dark brown disheveled hair left to live its own life during the day. And a three-day stubble beard on his chin and his jaw. Even his face seemed a bit…

It was quite a neglected appearance, despite the care with which his desk was tidied up. Everything was perfectly lined up. From the pens sorted by color, to the neatly aligned office supplies under his computer's screen. Including a red stapler, and a small hole puncher. Everything related to work was at its designated place. But as for personal stuff, there wasn't any she could set eyes upon. No cat or child picture, no small potted plant, nor small toy or childish thing used to brighten up one's workspace. It was really neat. Maybe even a bit too much neatly tidied up.

"Then, Shinohara-san, you're disturbing the peace in this office, right now", He harshly said, glaring at her and making her come back to reality. "So you better find yourself a spot, or else I'll get rid of you right this instant".

He waved to her with one of his hands, shooing her away by doing so.

She frowned a bit. That wasn't really nice to do that, especially on her first day.

He was already dismissing her like she was a waste of time and space. He even shrugged a bit, like that wasn't his problem anymore; and resumed his work.

She decided to look for an empty spot she could use as her own. It seemed he didn't have that much patience; so she observed in detail all the floor, looking for an empty desk not too far away. Almost all the floor was set up with desks glued one to another, each one separated by a gray partitioning screen, forming small cubicles as far as the eye could see. She hadn't been here, or on any other floor with such a setting, when she'd come to the interviews. So this kind of work environment was a bit new to her.

No, scratch that. Any workplace was brand new to her. It was the first job she'd had applied to after graduating, although it wasn't the first time she'd been asked to come for an interview.

There were a few hints one could use to check if a desk was being used or not; coworker there or not. It was almost like a game to her; so much she hadn't even noticed that her new boss was looking at her again.

And sure enough, she was quick-witted and found what she was looking for under five minutes: an empty desk without any personal effects nor nameplate. And not too far away, at that.

If she counted right, there were two rows of desks between the workspace she'd spotted, and her boss'. At at least, she was still located inside her own section. A few rows further, and you would end up in the Sales section.

But like that, she wouldn't be that close to him. But still, it was a bit far away so that she could see his face at all times, to her liking.

Better catch a quick glance now than regret it later… She thought.

She set up her eyes on him again, especially his tired and annoyed face, and quickly focused on memorizing his features.

The crow's feet at the corner of his eyes, the small wrinkles on his forehead appearing each time he was frowning – which was more than a few times, to her dismay – his messy eyebrows, his strong jaw, and his dry lips.

Yup. She got every little detail.

And she wasn't mistaken… Time to head for her newly acquired workspace. And if possible, without furiously blushing on the way there.

She quickly seated at her new desk, greeting her neighboring coworkers, and switched on the computer in front of her. Glancing behind her, in his general direction, she chuckled a bit. He was tall enough for some strands of unruly hair to be visible above the partitioning screen. She could even guess whether he was reading some documents, or raising his head to look at his computer screen.

But she ought to start working, too.

Her dad had told her that presenting yourself to all your coworkers on the first day was really important, as it helped to make contacts and keep close to you some colleagues that might become friends in the future. It was also important to set a healthy work environment and a good mood.

So she decided to write an email to all the accounting department, including Mr Kobayashi.

She spent a few minutes typing, and then, she re-read again her message, before sending it.

"From: shinohara.h@marline-insurance.co.jp

Object: (star) (star) Hello!

Hi! I'm the newbie! Pleased to meet you all!

I'd like to celebrate by offering you all something to drink, so tell me if you'd like something for this morning's break!"

Content with her email, she pressed "Enter" to send it to all the recipients.

Almost immediately, a small and cute chime sound echoed all around her. Like ripples on the water's surface, like when someone would have thrown a rock in a pond. And she was almost always the one throwing said rock; out of boredom.

But this time, it was more satisfying, knowing that the "rock" she'd thrown had reached people. Had reached Him.

Okay, maybe that made her blush a little bit. But really not that much. She swears.

She wondered what would be his reaction when reading it. Would he answer directly? Would he shrug? Would he even acknowledge her?

A bit lost in her thoughts, she ended up seating right on her desk instead of her seat, gaining curious and/or concerned glances from some of her coworkers around her.

Not even a minute passed before she saw two brown eyes rise above the partitioning screen, glaring at her with severity.

"Shinohara-san, you're not a fricking monkey, so get down!" He yelled, visibly annoyed by her improvised stunt.

His thunderous voice echoed above the current even level of noise of the whole floor, startling some people on its way to her. She pitied a bit her coworkers who were the nearest of their boss; since they had been the collateral victims of the angry and loud voice; given their position in the immediate vicinity, and because of her.

She sheepishly smiled, feeling a bit sorry for them, before going down her current position, and seating correctly on her seat.

She may have heard him grumbling to himself, before receiving almost twenty or more emails with some real work to be done.

She'd just arrived, and already, all of that? She wasn't even sure she would be able to process all of these before noon.

Plus, she wanted to know a bit more about her coworkers, as well as discover the uncharted land of work gossip.

There was a bespectacled woman to the seat at her right, smaller than her and with short chestnut hair. Hasami Mari. She was the fashionable small lady. Dressed to impress and underline her natural features.

On her left, a man in a dark blue office suit, but who had taken off his jacket, exposing a short-sleeved white shirt, as well as some well-tanned forearms. Yamamoto Yuuto. People also had the bad habit of giving him the nickname of "Mr why", but that was more than a pun on his initials, really. She'd yet to discover why, indeed, he was called like that.

And right in front of her, another man, serious and engrossed in his work. Ito Ren. Hair neatly slicked back with hair gel; and narrow eyes. He seemed like the embodiment of the "professional" word. Yet, he would never say no to any gossip going his way and was the senior worker among the three.

"So, Shinohara-chan, it's your first time working in a shared space?" Asked Mari.

Hana answered by nodding curtly. "In fact, that's my first job, ever", she added, smiling.

"Wow, you're really aiming big then!" Joked Yuuto. "I mean, that's boring as hell, but at least the pay is pretty good!"

As if to give some weight to his words, he quickly showed his tanned and muscular arms; proud of himself.

"You can go to some great holiday spots you know!" He grinned.

Maybe he was the happy-go-lucky type of person. Maybe he enjoyed everything. Or was it an airhead? But at least he was cheerful. She wouldn't be sided with some depressive coworker.

"Could you not flash your body to these ladies, Yamamoto-san", reprimanded Ren. "Some people are trying to work, here".

Ito Ren was definitely the really serious type. However…

"If you call that "flashing", you're so not ready for public baths; GRAMPS", snickered Mari.

Hana heard Yuuto merely manage to control himself to suppress a laugh, which in the end sounded more like a pork's growl. The situation had taken an interesting and funny turn.

"F...Flashing..." Yuuto let out in a voice strangled with laughter.

That seemed to annoy a bit Ren, who then gave a glare to Yuuto above the partitioning screen.

"Really, mind your manners, especially around young ladies", scolded Ren. "You're not acting your age, and wonder why women won't go out with you… I'm not even sure you're aware of your own issues..."

"Says the man who hasn't had a girlfriend since… WHEN?" Snorted Yuuto.

"That is not the type of information I would publicly disclose", Reprimanded Ren. "Especially not to a frivolous simpleton like you".

Ito Ren was the old-fashioned man, alright. He didn't steal that nickname of "gramps". Despite being only a few years older than them, he was almost nagging them on everything he found uncomfortable or inappropriate.

Hana then got the urge to ask a question, both for her personal interest and for stopping in his tracks the rampaging Ren, who was going to add more nagging on top of the nagging cake of shame.

"But, say… Could you tell me a bit more about Kobayashi-san?", tried Hana.

That seemed to do the trick and defused the situation by switching to another topic.

"Eeeeh, He's scary", shivered Mari. "If you're not working on what you're supposed to work on, he's really evil. He'll shout at you before the whole floor!"

Yuuto nudged Hana's arm. "She speaks from experience there. Once, she sent an email without telling Kobayashi-san, and he shredded her in front of everyone," he whispered.

"He never smiles", added Ren. "And I've been working here longer than any of you".

"Yeah, we know, GRAMPS!" Smirked Mari.

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose, visibly not taking the bait but still being annoyed. He was somewhat strict, with a neat and old-fashioned appearance and his back always straight; as it would be for a man raised with more manners than any of them could ever have.

"But you know, if there's something you don't know or don't understand, asks us. Okay, Shinohara-chan?" said Mari, eyes glinting with friendliness.

Hana smiled again, really glad she'd found such a good spot with good coworkers. She was still a bit stressed out, but she hoped that everything would be fine. She didn't doubt that approaching her boss would be really hard since he seemed the grumpy type of man.

Eventually, morning's break came by, and Hana quickly got up to go outside and complete everyone's orders. She passed a few rows of desks in a hurry and went directly inside one of the elevators without looking back.

She had all the time she spent walking from the office to the coffee shop and back to think about everything she'd discovered about her new boss during the first two hours.

So… Does he never smile?

She felt a twinge of pain in her chest.

Yet, she wasn't going to let go. Soon enough, she was back and setting hot and cold drinks on people's desks, greeting them and exchanging a few words in the process. And soon there was only one cup of coffee left in her hands.

Promptly, she approached her boss' desk, and put the coffee cup right in from of him, between his two extended arms busy typing something on his computer.

The motion made him froze in place.

"There you go, Kobayashi-san", she said, trying to sound kind.

He rose to his feet and eyed her. She was really glad that he hadn't got up earlier this morning. Because he was so tall he had to actually make the conscious effort of looking down in order to lock eyes with her.

"What is that?" He asked, not even bothered to look at the drink.

He was really staring straight at her. Without an ounce of hesitation.

He was… Really tall. At least one head taller than her. And that was a lot, considering she was already measuring around 1,70m. Worse, he was even towering her, like a sinister figure.

But this setting gave her another chance to take a good look at him, and especially his body.

First, she looked at him, right in the eyes. But then she glanced at his neck and his shoulders, following the place where his collarbone was supposed to be. He was fully dressed in his brown office costume, so she couldn't really see anything, and with a dejected air, looked at his arms and hands. Eventually, she set once again her eyes' to her Boss's face.

She might have forgotten to speak there for a moment, as she was busied herself into observing him. Now was the time to correct that mistake.

"Something for you to drink during your break, Kobayashi-san!" She beamed.

He frowned his eyebrows once again; as if the voice was aggressive to his ears.

"I didn't order anything", he dryly stated.

Again, the razor-sharp attitude. And again, she involuntarily dropped her smile. She was trying really hard. But he was being a pain in the ass right now.

"I know", She answered, her throat a bit tight. But she wasn't going to back down. Not now. Never. She stared back at him, summoning all the confidence she could.

"I don't need it", He flatly said, taking the cup in his hand and handing it to her in one swift motion.

A more than clear "you're bothering me so get the hell away with that stuff" gesture. That well she knew. And it hurt a bit, again. She felt a small pang of pain in her chest.

Reluctant, she retrieved the hot drink, and took one last good look at the man's face, before returning to her own office. She hadn't made any mistakes though, right?

So why this scathing attitude?

As she retreated to her desk, she heard a soft male voice say faintly, "Aww, why are you so meaaan, Kobayashi-san?".

Someone she hadn't yet met and greeted, she guessed. But someone really close to his new boss, given the tone he used. Maybe he could be a good source of information or even an ally?

She took a seat at her desk, a little dejected, and the hot cup of coffee still between her two hands. She tightened her grip on the paper cup, almost spilling its contents on her.

She had come all this way, and for what purpose ...?

« I must make him fall for me », she quietly told herself.